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World War Z 2013 ★★˝
On a rewatch, my impressions remain largely the same.
I don't know if it was meant to be a faithfull rendition of the book and I am not sure if it matters. This is meant to be a blockbuster with Brad Pitt as the badass hero who saves the world. And on that level, it kind of works. With only small tidbits of information being dripfed in the beginning, they quickly make it clear how serious the situation is. The attacks are well done and the action scenes – like the one on the plane to Cardiff – are pretty spectacular.
Needless to say, the plotholes are pretty obvious. And convenient stuff is convenient. And Brad escapes from a lot of stuff in ways that require a lot of suspension of disbelief. Example? The zombie wall against the wall is one thing. But a country alert enough to build a wall in record time that's not noticing this shit soon enough to pull the plug on that mic and tell these people to stfu? That's a bit too much.
That said, Brad Pitt can be an action hero and he does have the charisma to deliver the cheesy pancake lines. Most of the other characters are pretty forgettable in the bigger scheme of things, but they should get their proper due. Mireille Enos – who I for some reason always mix up with Julianne Moore – does a solid job as the wife. I also liked the performance by the actor playing Thierry. Also worth mentioning are small parts for Peter Capaldi and Moritz Bleibtrau.
Recommended? Only with enough beer and a nacho hat... and if you sing Nacho Man.
Nacho nacho man! I want to be! A nacho man!
Vengeance 2: Bloodlines 2022 ★★★★
For an average movie fan with little to no prior knowledge of the Friday-series, this might not be all that great. But as a piece of fan fiction, it's a ball of fun. For a Friday-fan, this is awesome.
The makers get to go all out on the gore and they really go to the levels of Dead Snow and Hatchet. Special mentions? Too many to mention. The stop sign kill, the pick axe kill,... Just the sheer number of times people are literally torn apart. Zombie Jason at it. And I am all here for it.
Needless to say, there are plenty of nods for the fans of the original series. Like the logo imitating part 2, or the cold opening with the origin of Burlap sack Jason. Or Nikki from part 6 driving in an RV because she's on her way to a bachelor party and... Who am I kidding? Because it's awesome, simple as that.
The characters are mostly forgettable and often times just help raise the body count. With a special mention for the Dollyrots-ish garage band. They looked cool. And Jason kills someone with a guitar because of course he does. Wow, talk about a blunt instrument.
A point of criticism? Having heard CJ Graham's voice, I don't really see the need to modulate it for the voice of Elias or what it added to the scene.
But that's all nitpicking. The fun is lapping up the gory kills and scanning the scenes for subtle (or less subtle) references to the original movies. And this one has plenty of that.
So head on over to YT and check it out.
The Good People of Orphan Ridge 2023 ★★
Indie band with big dreams ends up in a haunted house where they want to record their “last hurrah”. Please make your own parallel with a similar bigger recent release.
The key word here is discount.
The band has a bit of a discount Tenacious D vibe. Especially Day has the Jack Black vibe going on.
The coffee bar scenes are discount Scott Pilgrim. A fight scene with Molly is even a bit more on the nose. Also, the girls in this movie look and sound like they were based on a hybrid on Anna Kendrick and Aubrey Plaza.
Does that make it bad? Not... really. It has a few good and sometimes even sweet moments.
So there are things to enjoy. Just don't go in expecting too much.
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